Mail-bag catching and delivering apparatus



Dec. 9, 1924- 1,518,648

P. H. GLASS MAIL BAG CATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS Filed March 5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 -E'IE Z F u l r :4 A /0 J mndn HFIFIFIHI'IFIIIFL ATTORNEY WITNESSES P. H. GLASS MAIL BAG CATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS Filed March 5, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 P H INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESS:

Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,518,648 PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP H. GLASS, O'F RICHMOND. VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO WALTER F. I

DELANEY, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

MAIL-BAG (lATCHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

Application filed March 3, 1924. Serial No. 696,638.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, PHILIP H. GLAss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catching and Delivering Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a mail bag supporting device, the general object of theinvention being to provide means whereby the bag is normally held a sufficient distance from the track to prevent a person on a train being injured by the bag or its supporting means when a train is passing the supporting means, with means for moving the supporting means to a position where the bag can be caught by the catching device on the mail car of amail train when such train reaches a bag supporting means.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention.

Figure 2 is an elevation with parts in section the section being taken on the line 22 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section through the lower part of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section through the lower part of the structure and a part of the track.

Figure 5 is a section through the sup porting means of the trip part 16.

Figure 6 is a detail view, partly in section, of the trip bar and one of the plungers.

Figure 7 is a detail view of the pin for holding the train member in position.

Figure 8 is a view showing this train member attached to a truck.

Figure 9 is a view of the train member itself.

In these views, 1 indicates a foundation which is placed alongside the track A and which supports the frame 2 which includes the platform 3 and the ladder 4 for permitting the postmaster or his assistant to mount the platform to place the bag B upon the arms 5 which are controlled by the springs 6, the arms being pivoted to the shaft 7 which is rotatably supported by the frame and foundation. The bag supporting means are. of the usual or any desired construction. The shaft 7 is ,providedwith a handle 8 so that it can be rotated and itis supported on the frame by the ball bearings 9. A sector 10 is fastened to the lower end of the shaft and this sector has a groove in its curved edge which is engaged by a spring 11 which has one end connected with the sector and its upper end to a bracket 12 on the foundation. Thisspring tends to hold the shaft and its arms 5 in a position with the mail bag located close to the track so that it can be caught by the catching device on the mail car. A projection 13 is formed on the sector andthis projection is arranged to be engaged by a notch formed in the end of a lever 14 whichis pivoted to thebracket 15 on the foundation and which has one end arranged under a trip bar 16 which is parallel to the track and which is supported by the plungers 17 arranged in the cylinders 18 formed in the foundation 19, springs 20 being arranged in the cylinders and acting to hold the plungers in raised position. The trip bar 16 is pivotally connected with the plungers, as shown at 21. A spring 22 is connected with the inner end of the lever 14 and acts to hold the same in engagement with the projection 13.

In setting the device the shaft is turned by means of the handle 8 until the projection 13 passes into the notch in the lever 14 so that said lever will hold the shaft in a position with the arms extending parallel with the track so that there is no danger of the arms or bag striking a person on a passing train. When the bag is to be caught a part 23 on the mail train will engage the trip bar 16 and depress the same, thus rocking the lever 14 to cause its inner end to pass above the projection 13 and thus permit the spring 11 to rotate the shaft 7 a quarter turn to bring the arms and the mail bag in a position where the bag can be caught by the catching device on the mail car. In this movement the projection 13 will strike a stop 24 on the foundation which will hold the parts with the bag in catching position.

The =member '23 is of U-shapedconstruo tion a-ndhas one end hinged to a truckO of the mail train and its other end, when the deviceisin operative position,is l1eld to a projection on the truckby the cotter pin which is preferably of the construction shown in Figure? which shows it asjprovided with a part 26 which is pivotedbetween the prongs on the major part of the pin, as shown at 27. Thus after the pin has been passed through holes in the connecting part, the part '26 will-drop into the position shown in dotted lines and thus prevent the pins from being accidentally withdrawn.

' will be held in'this position by apin 28,

which-is similar to the-pin 25,- engaging a part 29 on the truck and a hole in the member 23.

It will be understood that onnnail trains this 'device23 is placedin operative position to depress the ba-r'l6 so-as toswing the bag supports into-operative position but on other trains these devices "are raised into inoperative position so that the bag supporting means will not be moved.

It is thought from the foregoingdescriptionthat theadvantages and novel-features of my invention will be readily apparent.

I desire it to he understood that I'may make changesin the construction and in the V combination andarrangementof the several a rotary shaft, supporting means for the same, bag supporting arms on the shaft, a

member connected with the shaft, spring means connected with the member for hold the shatt in one position, a projection on the member, a stop for engaging the same for limiting the movement of the member by the spring,- a latch bar en aging said projection for holding the shalt in another position, and a trip'bar-arranged above the latch bar and adapted to be engaged by a part of a mail train.

2. A mail bag supporting device comprising a supporting gtrame, avertical-shaft rotatably mounted therein, bag supporting arms on" the shaft, a sector connectedwith the shaft, a-spring connecting the sector with a stationary part, a projection on the-sector, a stop forengaging the projection for limiting its movement by thespring, a latch lever arranged to engage the projection to-hold the sectoragainst movement by its spring, a trip bar under which the latch lever. passes, spring pressed plungers pivotally connected with the trip bar and an adjustable trip member adapted to 'be mounted on a mail train for engaging the trip bar.

In testimony'whereof I affix mysignatu-re.

PHILIP H; GLASS. 

